New Kids Turbo

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Gerrie, Richard, Rikkert, Robbie, and Barrie all lose their jobs in Maaskantje. The loss triggers a shift in focus from daily life to survival, and the friends attribute their plight to external forces while neglecting their own tendencies toward delay and irresponsibility. The small Brabant town begins to feel the strain as unemployment colors everyday life.

Gerrie shows up late to work and, in a rush, drives the forklift into a pallet of boxed plasma screens. The accident underscores the group's carelessness and foreshadows the chaos that will follow. The incident intensifies tensions at the workplace in Maaskantje.

Richard brings his old bulldog to the workplace, where the dog gnaws on and snaps the supervisor's shovels. The pet's disruption mirrors the group’s lack of discipline and foreshadows further trouble at work. The local workplace becomes a pressure cooker for the unraveling plan.

Rikkert is dismissed by a bitter, sarcastic garage owner who blames a broken system. The firing compounds the financial stress on the group and pushes them toward reckless schemes. The garage becomes a symbol of a system they feel stacked against them.

Gerrie is expelled from his mother's house after an attempted purse theft; Rikkert ends his relationship with Manuela; Barrie’s home, which doubles as an illegal cannabis farm, catches fire. The personal upheavals mirror the group's sliding moral compass as the crisis deepens. Each setback widens the cracks in their once-stable routines.

The five friends seek refuge at the home shared by Richard and Robbie as their worries spill into daily life. They debate what it would take to survive and who should foot the bill for their next moves. The cramped space becomes a staging ground for bold, often reckless plans.

While refueling Rikkert's Opel Manta, the bank card is rejected, underscoring how little financial cushion remains. The failed transaction highlights that their lifelines are fraying and that desperation is tightening its grip. The moment foreshadows the street-level schemes they will consider next.

A visit to the local employment office reveals that benefits will not continue. In a bold act of defiance, Richard climbs over the desk and shoves the official aside, demanding more money. The next morning a formal letter arrives confirming that all benefits have been terminated.

Spurred by desperation, the group resolves to stop paying for anything and to raid the town for necessities. They stage a run on the petrol station, with the attendant giving chase as they cart away large fuel containers, and then raid Lupus supermarket where Barrie acts as a distraction. The spree signals a dramatic collapse of their moral boundaries.

They order a delivery from a Chinese takeaway but refuse to pay when it arrives, triggering a debt-collection chase. Violence erupts as a debt collector confronts them and a local police chief becomes part of the tense standoff. The town's mood shifts from comic mischief to outright danger.

A sympathetic Brabant TV journalist covers the group's story, casting them as victims of circumstance. The coverage goes viral and sparks imitation riots in other towns, amplifying the group's notoriety and inadvertently legitimizing their once-small rebellion. The narrative shifts from local trouble to regional spectacle.

Gerrie drags Barrie to see an old friend known as The Lumberjack, Peter Aerts, to secure a substantial loan. They gamble the money at a casino and, against the odds, win on a single number, fueling a dangerous sense of invincibility. Meanwhile, Rikkert loses his Opel Manta to the tow yard after a chase.

Officials decide to quell the unrest by wiping Maaskantje off the map, but the plan backfires when Schijndel is bombed by mistake. Authorities insist there is no war with Belgium, amidst the escalating confusion and pressure on the town. The misfired strategy deepens the town's sense of chaos.

The five friends reach a field where a farmer has WWII-era weapons and are invited to arm themselves. As they chant a controversial anthem, a misfire traced to Gerrie shoots Barrie in the head. Maaskantje enters full evacuation as the conflict closes in.

The group reunites with Manuela and others, is arrested for a long list of offenses, and is sentenced to 240 hours of community service each. As Peter Aerts returns as the money lender, one last reckless encounter unfolds and ends with a cascade of falling speakers and a turntable deck, culminating in darkly comic chaos with DJ Paul Elstak. The film ends on a note of reluctant solidarity among the friends.